US, Japan and South Korea meet to discuss North Korea

North Korea has a long history of using provocations such as missile or nuclear tests to seek international concessions

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks towards South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong alongside Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi following their meeting in Hawaii (Kevin Lamarque/Pool/AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Japanese and South Korean counterparts in Hawaii on Saturday to discuss the threat posed by nuclear-armed North Korea after Pyongyang began the year with a series of missile tests.

Mr Blinken said at a news conference after the meeting that North Korea is “in a phase of provocation” and the three countries condemned the recent missile launches.